Countdown
by Karianasan
Summary: Something is going on in the Mystery Inc household... And time is running out. What is going on? You'll just have to read and find out for yourselves. Chapter 4!
1. The First to Leave

It was a day, just like every other day. Nothing seemed too spectacular or special that day, just some random day in September. Sure the holidays were on the way, but there was still plenty of the month left before it even got near October. Actually, the month had just started.

But there was _something_ in the air.

Against the normal atmosphere of the cool morning, there was a stirring about the Mystery Inc house hold. The sound could be traced to the back corner of the first floor, Velma's room. For the most part, (besides the young woman flitting here and there in the room) everything seemed to be in place. With two exceptions: A calender and a suitcase. The calender sat upon her bed, looking innocent with the exception of a dark circle around one of the dates. And the suitcase was rapidly filling up...

"Leaving so soon?" Came a slightly unhappy voice from Velma's door. Hearing the voice, Velma turned around to see Daphne waiting in her doorway. Bringing a hand up to her face, Velma adjusted her glasses before looking back to her suitcase.

"Yeah. I think it's about time."

Her eyes wandered to the calender that sat nearby, the date staring back at her. Daphne watched her shorter friend for a while before she sighed.

"I know it's not necessary, but I figure you'll be going home on your skateboard... So here."

Tossing something, a large object landed upon Velma's head. Surprised, Velma pulled the thing off her head and looked back at Daphne, but she was already gone. No doubt getting ready to leave herself. Sighing, she turned back to her job at hand. Examining the object that Daphne threw at her, she noticed it was a rather nice, and large duffel bag that was red in color. No doubt it was hard to find it in her shade of orange, red was a nice second. And it was perfect to swing over her shoulder for such a trip. She would leave her other suitcase here for now, taking out the contents and adding it to her new bag. It was surprisingly big inside, and Velma had no trouble packing the suitcases worth inside the new bag. It was perfect. She would have to thank Daphne next time she saw her.

Looking at the date again, Velma sighed a final time before giving the room a loving look. Taking the bag, she slung it over her shoulder and let it settle before making way towards the door. She stopped long enough to give the door a caress, before she clicked off her light. Closing her door, she would be back... Eventually. But no matter how much she would miss her room, it would be there waiting for her.

Gathering herself up, she moved through the house. No one was in sight, but that was probably for the better. Reaching into the closet, she plucked her red sneakers from the pile and placed them on. From what shoes were still there, it seemed like she was going to be the first to leave. But better to get on her way, sooner she got there, the sooner she would be able to start. She only had so much time left.

Passing out of the house, Velma was quick to get down the driveway and into the garage. Waiting for her, was her gear and board. Once she was suited up, she cast one more glance at the house before jumping forward.

Once board met pavement... she was gone.

-----------

The stripes of the road flashed by as she coasted through the streets of Coolsville. Up and down the roads weaved as she left the house behind her and she was off to her destination. Casting a few quick waves to the neighbors, she wove through town till a familiar sidewalk greeted her.

She knew every bump, crack and crevice all too well, and so did her kneecaps. It had been too long, and the little house in front of her was a welcome sight. Skidding the board to a stop, she kicked it up and tucked the board under her arm as she approached the front door. But before she was able to bring her gloved hand to the doorknob, it swung open.

Standing before her was a familiar figure. Scruffy, and graying by now, a pair of eyes glanced through his glasses and down at his watch. A smile growing under a neatly trimmed mustache.

"Just on time. Welcome home Pumpkin."

Reaching out his arms, Velma fell into them to give her father a big hug, though their heights weren't too different. She also made sure not to stab him with the skateboard. Parting, he held her at arms length to give her a look over.

"My my... Another year, eh? Come on in. We've been expecting you and made sure to have your room ready. Honey! Our daughter's home!" He called into the living room, tugging his 'little' Velma into the house. Whipping her hands upon her apron, Velma's mother made an appearance. As Harold took the board and bag from her, Velma was then free to give her mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm home." She said, looking up at her mother. Sometimes she wished for her mothers height, but genetics were funny things. But at least she wasn't shorter then her father. Her mother smiled down at her, returning the hug and kiss.

"Welcome home. But do you crazy kids have to do this every year? You always look so sad when you come home. Can't you do this all together?" With a crumpled brow, Marilyn never understood why they put themselves through this, time and time again.

"Oh mom... It's tradition. And besides, it would be too hard to do in a house full of Detectives. It's for the best that we all split up for a while."

"I know, I know. Still... Though it is nice to see you once and a while." Velma knew that look, and she did feel bad for not visiting, but the look didn't last. Marilyn knew her daughter was a busy woman, and didn't have too much time to spare to come and visit. All the more to enjoy this little time she would be home.

"Well... It's started anyway. But since your here! I made your favorite. Now go wash up! Shoo shoo!" Giving her one more hug, Marilyn sent her daughter upstairs to wash and get ready for lunch. She had alot of work to do, and would need a good, hearty lunch in her. And her mom was more then ready to deliver. After all, it was tradition.

Smiling, Velma nodded and obeyed her mothers wishes. Walking up the stairs, she was off to get herself ready. Pausing, she cast a look back to the front door. Her mind lingered on what she had to do, thinking of each of the gang before she turned her back away from the door. She would have time to think of that later, now it was time for a nice home made meal.

**=Countdown: ****_5_ days left=**


	2. Daphne's Turn

Turning from Velma's room, Daphne sighed. It had been hard to not to question Velma about what she had planned to do. But this was one of those situations it was best not to pry. As agonizingly curious she was, Daphne was not going to be one to break tradition.

Crossing the hallway in front of Velma's room, Daphne paused to run a hand across the bottom rail that led up to where her and Fred's room was. The smooth, polished wood greeted her back, always being there. Leaning back, she peered around the stairs to the closed door that was Shaggy and Scooby's. No sound was coming through there, and she wasn't sure if they had already left or not. Though they might just be in a different part of the house, namely the kitchen. Their 'second' home, within the home. But she had to get ready, herself.

Pulling herself forward, she used the rail to get moving. The stairs under her feet seemed to groan in protest, not wanting to be left alone for so long. But complaining stairs were not going to stop her.

Reaching the top, she pushed off and headed towards her room. Casting a quick glance towards Fred's room, she moved into her own before closing her door. She had to concentrate, and it was really hard. Sitting on her bed was a similar scene to that of Velma's room, but with the difference of quantity of suitcases. Several, purple themed suitcases, sat on various parts of the bed and floor. All open and waiting for her to fill them. And sitting with all the suitcases around it, was a little desktop calendar. The same date circled in a deep purple, making it clear the day of importance. _Five more days..._ it should be enough to get what she needed done.

She moved quickly, and fluidly about her room. Packing had become second nature over the years of traveling, so she was able to get everything she needed in her suitcases within minutes. Part of her wanted to stall, but she figured she better leave. The sooner she left, the sooner she would be able to come home.

She finished her task with the calendar, plopping it into the last suitcase and closing it. Using a contraption Fred had come up with, and Velma had build for her, she bundled up the various suitcases and headed out of her room with a grunt. Each of the suitcases sat neatly on top of one another, all strapped neatly into the contraption she had. It allowed her to move them all at one, rather then one at a time, like she sued to do in the good, old days of their mysteries. But now was not the time to get distracted with fun memories of the past. She had to leave The stairs again groaned as she passed, but she paid little heed to their arguments. Pausing only to get her heels on, she closed the closet by the door and headed out of it.

Dragging her suitcase carrying contraption behind her, she made her way to the front of the house, where her cute, royal purple car awaited her. Clicking a button on her key ring, the trunk popped it self open without her having to do anything. Which was nice, since her hands were occupied with her suitcases and keys. Coming around the back, Daphne gripped the whole contraption and gave it a heave into the trunk. Closing the trunk shut, her vision drifted up to the house that she had just left.

_It's only five days... You'll see it again..._ Her inner mind reminded her, though it didn't help perk Daphne up at all.

Catching her eye, she noticed Fred by his window. He was over looking the front yard, and had noticed her about to leave. With a sad look on his face, he gave a half hearted wave to her. With an equally sad look, she returned the wave before turning away. Pushing another button, she heard the door unlock itself. Gripping the door, she forced herself to not look back up and get into the car. Dropping her whole weight into her drivers seat, she closed her eyes a few seconds before her vision drifted to her passenger seat. Sitting there, as if waiting for her, her CD case waited to be opened. Plucking the material case from her other seat, she unzipped it and gave her CD's a look. She flipped fondly through the pages, till she hit one in particular. A smile broke throw her mopey exterior, as she noticed one of her particular CD's she had inside. Plucking that out of the sleeve, she pressed eject on her radio to notice that it didn't work.

Chiding herself, she put in her keys and her engine roared to life. Pressing the button again, it worked like it was supposed to, since it had power now. Putting away the previous CD, she placed in her pick from the case. Seconds ticked away, before the radio read the CD and played the first song. A blast of instrumental hit her, relaxing her against her drivers seat. The song had always been good for calming her down, and she had needed it. She had a bit of a drive ahead of her, and she needed to get started as soon as she got home.

Casting one more look at the house, she shifted the car into gear and gave the gas a push. Slowly at first, the house drifted further away in her rear view mirror. But she had to turn the corner, and it was gone from sight. Sighing one last time, she set her face straight ahead. She was on a mission, and now... nothing was going to stop her.

"I hope mom and dad are going to be there... Hm, if not... I wonder if the spare key is still hiding under that one fake rock. Oh well, I guess I'll find out when I get there. Good bye for now, home. I'll see you later." She spoke aloud, giving her rear view mirror one more look.

**=Countdown: 5 days left=**


	3. Fred's Turn

Fred had gotten up early, to his own chagrin. Even with stalling, he had been able to pack with not much trouble. He only needed one bag to fit all his stuff, so it didn't take him long to put everything in it's proper place._ Stupid Mysteries..._ He grumbled, blaming the countless times he had to pack his stuff up, that he had gotten just as good as the girls were.

Finding himself done, he couldn't bring himself to be the first to leave. It was just too tough, to leave his room and out the front door. And, what would happen if he ran across someone on his way out? What would he be able to say? That he was leaving? The words were too hard to say, once you live with the same people day in and day out. You get used to knowing they are there, and things feel weird when they aren't for a extended period of time.

So instead of approaching his door, Fred found himself sprawled across his bed. Staring at the ceiling, he let his vision wander as he listened to the sounds of the house. It was silent for a long time, till the tell tale alarm rang off somewhere in the house. Focusing on it, he knew it wasn't Daphne's. It would have been louder, and closer to where he was, had that been the case. No, it must be Velma's. He would have thought it was Shaggys, had he thought the beatnik would even set his alarm. That, and he preferred the sound of a old bell clock, rather then a digital one.(Sure, Shaggy owned a digital clock, but he mainly used it to tell the time, not to set as an alarm. That is what the other one was for.) It was a digital alarm, that Fred had heard in the distance... so it had to be Velma.

Straining to hear, he listened to her wake up. He could make out various shuffling, which he figured was her getting dressed like she always did. From her glasses on the nightstand, to her closet for her turtle neck and classic skirt. Though she had taken leaving her shoes in her window, after one birthday they had played a trick on her and had them hidden there. But she had added another step to the mix, which he figured was her trusty suitcase.

It was about then, when he heard Daphne stir. She didn't need an alarm, or not one that he could hear. For all he knew, she had set her cell phone on vibrate and had it wake her up. Unlike Velma, he could clearly hear Daphne sigh, as she turned from her covers and noticed what must have been the calendar by her bed side. With a groan sounding in the distance, Fred had to snicker at Daphne's grumbling to being awake. Mumbling something under her breath, she got herself dressed before searching for something.

Fred could tell that she was searching, as the sounds of things being shifted around, didn't sound like packing. Thuds of things being thrown about, came from beyond his door. But finally, it seemed like Daphne found what she was looking for.

"Ah ha!" Came the rather loud exclamation from the red head's direction.

Rushing out of her room in a hurry, Fred could hear Daphne take off towards the first floor. Sitting up, Fred leaned towards his door to try to make out what happened next. He could hear some talking, but without getting up, he wasn't able to hear anything that the girls said to each other.

"I'm kinda jealous of Daphne..." Fred spoke to the calendar that sat on the side of the bed. Looking at the dark, black circle around the one date that sat staring back at him. Though the calendar didn't talk back, it didn't stop Fred from talking to it. "I don't think I could even face Velma, since today is what it is... Sigh."

Laying back on the bed, he was just in time to hear Daphne charge back up the stairs. Her room was a flurry of action, so much that Fred almost missed the sound of the front door. Catching his attention, Fred got up and moved to the window that over looked the front lawn. Fred didn't catch Velma in time to watch her go to the back to get her stuff, but he sure knew when she started to leave. The clear sound of the wheels of her skateboard, hitting the ground, was familiar enough to recognize. It only took a little bit of time, before Velma disappeared down the street. Crossing his arms, he placed his chin upon them and stared longingly at where Velma had gone. He didn't even get a chance to wave her a goodbye, and she was gone.

A clacking sound distracted him from where he had been looking, as Daphne had finally reached the outside as well. But she was struggling a bit more, as she had several suitcases to fight with, as Velma just seemed to have a duffel bag. _I wonder if that is what Daphne gave her..._ Fred pondered, since it wasn't familiar and it was her kind of color. Which makes him think it was Daphne's fault. Velma liked more function, then fashion... and it looked fancier then she would grab herself. The beeping of Daphne's car, brought his attention back to Daphne below. She used the button on her key ring, to pop open the back trunk of her dark purple car she had parked in front of the house. It had been a while since he had seen it, but he knew it was hers as soon as he saw it. Same with Velma's red truck that she had, it was clearly hers. Fighting with the pile of suitcases on the rig he had made her, she managed to finally get it into the truck in one piece. Part of him wished the contraption had failed, spilling the suitcases over the floor to delay her from leaving. But he and Velma had worked too hard to make the rig work and be sturdy against anything the danger prone woman might throw at it.

_Stupid thing... working like it's supposed to..._ Fred grumbled, wishing it was like some of his less successful plans he was sometimes known for. But it had worked like a charm, this time. He blamed Velma, for it being so reliable.

Closing the trunk, Daphne finally looked up and their eyes connected. With his brows furrowing, he shot her a sad look and gave a weak willed wave to her. She waved back, (which did cheer him up a little bit.) before she turned away and climbed into her car. Seconds ticked by, as the Royal Purple car sat still. It seemed that Daphne was fiddling with something, before she finally started up the car. Pulling out, Daphne headed off in the same direction Velma had gone.

"I better get going..." Pulling himself away from the window, Fred gave a long look at his own suitcase. He didn't want to pick it up, nor did he want to leave his bed behind him. Sighing, he figured it was best to leave now, before the guys left and he would run into them. Like pulling off a stuck band aid, he needed to do it quickly, even though it would hurt.

"Come on bags... We're out of here."

**=Countdown: 5 days left=**


	4. Last to Leave

Little did Fred know, Shaggy and Scooby were up even before he was. The duo couldn't sleep well that night, eager to be awake. But they didn't want to wake the others, so they tried to stay as silent as they could. It didn't take long for them to pack their stuff into their bags. (Though to give them credit, they only had a few things to take anyway. Where they were going, they would have a lot there already.) So with bags packed, they had other things to focus on.

Taking shelter in the kitchen, they passed the time taking stock of what foods they wanted to take with them, and which would be able to stay at the house for the next few days without any trouble. No food was going to be spoiled on their watch!

"Like' Scoob, catch!"

Tossing a package of bread, it was getting close to the expiration date. So five days were going to be too many for it to stay here. With the heads up, the Dane was able to put down his clip board in time to catch the airborne bread without any trouble.

"R'one read. Rot rit!"

Making a note on the piece of paper, Scooby wrote down what they were taking. It was a list to make sure that once they came back, they would be able to restock without forgetting anything. One by one, bits of food in various packages and containers took flight and crossed the room to where Scooby awaited. They got stacked around Scooby as he wrote each one down, and soon looked more like a castle, then piles like Shaggy had been expecting.

"Come on Scoob, We have to like' get ready to leave. Not like' build a 'sand'wich castle, but extra points for creativity."

Shaggy had made his way to the wall that surrounded his buddy. Chuckling at the Dane, he plucked the bread bag that made up the top of one of his castle walls. Tossing it in the air a few times, he looked over at the castle and tried to decide where to start taking it apart in order to pack it. With bread in hand, Shaggy wandered over to the doors to the walk in pantry. Using his free hand, he opened one door and peered inside. Squinting into the shadows that stretched beyond the doors, he knew exactly what he was looking for. No shadow in his own kitchen was going to scare him. Not when he knew every nook and cranny, like the back of his hand.

Pushing past the door, he reached and grabbed exactly what he knew was going to be there. Giving it a tug, Shaggy came out of the pantry pulling a little red wagon behind him. It was a classic little kid wagon, with all things you would expect from it. From the bent black metal handle; to the whitewall look on the plastic tires. Also the classic "Radio Flyer" logo shone brightly in white lettering against the rich red of the body. Though Shaggy would have loved to have an original Radio Flyer, he wasn't exactly around back in the 30's to have one. (Though, that didn't stop him from getting Velma to look it up on the internet for him.) But, this one did the job well enough for him. At least what he used it for, which was mostly in the kitchen.

Traveling back to where Scooby had walled himself in, he was about to dig out his canine buddy when he heard Velma's alarm go off. Whipping their heads around in unison, both dog and man turned their attention on the kitchen door. Staring at the door, they strained to listen for what might be going on past the door.

"Relm'mm" Placing a hand on Scooby's mouth, Shaggy silenced his pal. Looking over at Scooby, he shook his head.

"Shhh Scoob, we don't want them to know we are in here... We like' have to be quiet." With Shaggy s hand on his mouth, Scooby nodded to let his companion know he understood. Putting part of a paw to his covered mouth, he made the motion for silence to show Shaggy he got the message. Smiling, Shaggy removed his hand and gave his buddy an appreciative ear scratch. Turning their attention to the door, they crept close to try to hear anything.

Seconds ticked away as the two listened to the sounds beyond the door. As she was also on the first floor, it was easy for them to track Velma moving in her room. Though she was pretty silent overall, they could occasionally hear her sigh, or the tell tale sign of something landing into her suitcase. It made a certain thud, which was familiar when they all packed. It became a familiar sound, after all the years they had been on mysteries and had to pack to get ready, and re-pack when they were done. While normally someone might not be as accustomed to the sound, it had become second nature to the Mystery Inc members.

Shaggy was caught off guard when Daphne started talking to Velma. He had been paying so much attention to Velma packing, that he didn't hear her come down the stairs. Being so close to the door, it was easy for the two to overhear the exchange between the two ladies. But it didn't last long, as they then heard Daphne start up the stairs. It was soon after, that the front door opened. Their best guess was that Velma had left first, since they didn't hear Daphne come back down yet.

From where they were in the kitchen, they could hear Velma open the garage to get her board. But since they were in the back of the house, they were unable to hear her hit the pavement with her skateboard and take off. But it was something they could assume had happened.

It was then that the duo heard Daphne coming down the stairs. There was daintiness about her, which told Shaggy and Scooby it was Daphne, rather than Fred. But had they not known right away, they would have once Daphne's car started. As they would recognize the sound of her car engine, and know who had left. Daphne s car had a particular sound, and it was something they could tell even from the back of the house.

"So, it seems like just Fred. Like' I haven't heard him move yet."

Peering up to the ceiling, Shaggy shrugged. They had been awake since really early, and didn't think that anyone had been awake before they had.

"Raybe r he reft?"Tilting his head to the side, Scooby followed Shaggy's line of sight and stared at the ceiling as well. But they didn't have to wait long before they heard Fred moving. Though they had missed him packing earlier, they definitely caught him getting ready to leave. This time they were paying attention to him, so they noticed the sounds that gave his movements away. Down the stairs, the duo reached the kitchen doors just in time to hear the other man sigh before leaving. For the third time that day, the front door opened and closed behind one of the members of Mystery Inc.

Cautiously, Shaggy and Scooby peeked their heads beyond the kitchen's cafe doors. Not hearing anything in the house, they slowly made their way down the hallway. Pausing every so often, they checked for any sounds of the others, but they heard nothing. Leaning low, Shaggy cupped a hand to one side and whispered to Scooby.

"_Psst..._ Check upstairs. I'll check down here."

Shooting Shaggy a paws up, the four legged Dane used his low position to spread out his weight to shift up the stairs. Since he was able to use all four paws to his advantage, no stair was able to announce his presence to anyone that might be upstairs. With Scooby skittering up the stairs, Shaggy made a quick look about the first floor. Peering around corners and trying to hide behind objects, he double checked no one was there.

"R'all Rear!" Came a shout from upstairs. Which earned an equally joyous shout from below.

"Like' here too! Everyone left!" Shaggy shouted with a smile, giving a whoop of happiness. He was soon joined by and equally happy Great Dane.

"Five more days! Five more days!"  
"Rive r'ore rays! Rive r'ore rays!"

Hopping up on his back paws, Scooby and Shaggy joined together to trot about the living room in a makeshift dance. They spent a few seconds before they broke apart, grinning at each other.

"Come on Scoob. We have plans to make, and like' things to get. Let's grab the food and skedaddle with the Mystery Machine! Mum and Dad should be waiting at home for us! Race you Scoob!"

"Rah rah! Rahoo!"

Pushing off the ground, the duo raced to pack their food and stuff for the trip. It didn't take them long to load everything into the van. Food and stuff packed, there was only one thing left to do. Checking the door one more time, Shaggy gave the front door a loving pat.

"Five more days. Then we'll be back house. Later!"

"Rome r'on Raggy! Ret's ro!" Scooby hollered from the front seat of the Mystery Machine, hanging out of the window and waving to his buddy to hurry.

"Like' coming Scoob!"

Giving one more whoop, Shaggy ran over to the front side and hopped into the van. Giving the key a turn, the van roared to life. Pulling out of the driveway, the last members of Mystery Inc had finally left, leaving their house empty... _For now._

**=Countdown: 5 days left=**


End file.
